With the greatest respect I have to say that most, if not all, the published comments on the question of admitting non-Malays into UiTM have failed to focus on the historical and indeed political background dimensions involved.
Therefore please allow me, in all humility, to try to provide some perspective.
This institution owes its tremendous success in meeting the aspirations of the Malay youth to be involved in mainstream business in the private sector through the dynamic pioneering leadership of its first principal Dr Arshad Ayob.
Without hesitation, I can attest to his appointment in this capacity as being one of the best things the government could ever have had done for the Malay youth.
In singling out this policy of preparing only Malays for knowledge-based skills training, it must be pointed out that there were at that time, no other such opportunities available whatsoever in the pubic or private sectors for this group, and that this has more or less continued even to this day.
Arshad orchestrated a comprehensive ‘total’ educational programme that amounted to nothing short of a ‘crusade’. Because English was the language of business and commerce, this was made the medium of instruction.
Then again, because lunch comprised our proverbial ‘rice and curry’ which made students sleepy and unable to concentrate afterwards, the lunch menu was switched to sandwiches!
Considerable efforts were also introduced to make students pro-active in student activities and extra- curricular affairs which emphasised leadership and especially entrepreneurship.
The successful outcome was, and is, obvious. There has never been an unemployment problem among graduates, and it should be noted that more recently employers had been known to visit the institution and recruit personnel even before graduation.
(In comparison, it is estimated that some 30-40 percent of pubic sector university graduates are now considered unemployable.)
Against this background of being a ‘victim of its own success’ it is understandable that UiTM should not want to change the status quo and admit non-Malay students. But on the other hand, having achieved such excellent success, the time is also opportune to seriously consider extending or opening admission to other Malaysians as well.
Indeed, there is a strong case to do so because there is another side of the story even within the institution itself that demands a review or indeed a restructuring along these lines.
This is, that if one adopts a cursory stratification of the students’ family backgrounds into ‘upper, middle or working class’ it will be noted that the vast majority of students, since the inception of the institution, and till this very day, are not from a working class background.
If this can be statistically established, then priority needs to be given for at least 40% of student enrollment to come from those with working class backgrounds.
This is not only to meet the demand for a more equitable distribution of opportunities for self –improvement for the rakyat under the NEP, but also to take into account the meaning of the March 8 GE tsunami results which demanded for bottom-top restructuring and reforms across the board.
It is submitted therefore that the question of admitting non-Malay students should also be seen in the same context of extending opportunities to students from a working class backgrounds.
With respect, and in order to make the point, it is strongly proposed that even a ‘token’ 10% intake of non-Malay students at this time would not only show the magnanimity of UiTM in being realistic on this question but be most welcome among all Malaysians.
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